The facile transport of alkali ions in inorganic crystalline materials is a prerequisite for the many electrochemical processes in rechargeable batteries. Achieving fast ion transport kinetics requires an optimized crystal structure with favorable short-range atomic arrangements, which are also extensively connected in the long range. In conventional well-ordered electrode materials, the two criteria conveniently become one, as a single unit cell would precisely repeat its chemistry and geometry into infinity. In this talk, I will show how strategically introducing compositional and structural complexity into an otherwise well-ordered rocksalt-type material can significantly improve the rate capability and modify its redox mechanism. As the extent of compositional disorder further increases, resulting in the so-called class of cation-disordered rocksalt materials, the degeneracy of chemical/structural order at various length scales gets lifted. I will show that in these materials, cation short-range order (SRO) is not only ubiquitous but also controls the Li transport behavior. General guidelines are identified for manipulating cation SRO for the benefit of Li transport.